Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks

I did something unusual before I started reading this book--unusual for me, anyway. Reading from the back cover that it tells the story of John Brown, who led the raid on Harper's Ferry before the start of the Civil War, I realized I actually knew next-to-nothing about him or what his raid accomplished. So I did some internet research. Here is some of what I found out:

John Brown, along with his sons, had been involved in abolitionist activities long before Harper's Ferry, working with the Underground Railroad and later being heavily involved in the bloody skirmishes in Kansas when pro-slavery and free-state adherents clashed. In contrast to most prominent abolitionists, who were often Quakers and pacifists, Brown believed that bloodshed was unavoidable, and indeed even necessary, to achieve the goal of freedom for slaves. Brown was seemingly motivated primarily by religious fervor, believing that he was being instructed by God and the Old Testament to use terrorist methods. Historians are divided as to how to understand him: some believe him to have been a visionary leader and martyr for the cause, and others believe him to have been a madman who saw no contradiction in shedding blood for a holy cause.

So on to the novel. It is narrated by Owen Brown, the third son, who has escaped from Harper's Ferry and who writes down his story as an old man, nearing death. His narration tells the story of historical events, but more importantly, sheds light on motivations. But he is an unreliable narrator, as any son would be in writing about a father of an overpowering personality, and his story tells as much about father-son dynamics as it does about historical happenings. Owen worships his father as he would God (whom he has ceased to believe in), but he hates him at the same time, in the end refusing to be Isaac to John Brown's Abraham.

Russell Banks here uses language to great effect, with Owen's narration sounding appropriately 19th century and biblical at the same time. Owen, seemingly subconsciously, reveals more about himself and about his father than he intends. This aspect is subtle and very skillfully done.

I'm sorry that the novel was so long (750+ pages), because I feel fewer people read it because of this, and everyone should read it. It is not a fast read, and few people these days have the time and leisure to give to extended reading, as I do as a retired person with no outside responsibilities.

This novel made me think about many things:

*How does a person come to believe that God is telling him to shed blood in a holy cause? What comes to mind here is people who kill abortion doctors and even incidental bystanders to stop what they consider to be the killing of innocents; Muslim extremists who justify the killing of innocents in the cause of their religious beliefs; a supposedly Christian nation which seems to be engaging in a "holy war," counting many innocent victims as collateral damage.

*John Brown was passionate about the freeing of the Negro slaves, but he had two wives who bore a total of 20 children, and he frequently left them alone to care for the children and to eke out a sustenance living while he carried on his holy war. The wives were not bound by law, but were they not bound by the circumstance of the time? Were they not, too, slaves?

*Is not pure blood-lust a part of any "holy crusade"? Owen Brown, in this narrative, admits this motivation.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with the time and leisure to read it. It has given me additional historical knowledge and, more importantly, much to think about. This is a mark of a good book--thinking is good.